


Learning to Exist in the Moment

by lesbianbean



Category: Cars (Movies)
Genre: F/F, F/M, I did, IT'S ME, anyway...have some car girlfriends, guess who saw Cars 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 11:33:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11230068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianbean/pseuds/lesbianbean
Summary: How a statistician and a racer fell in love.





	Learning to Exist in the Moment

**Author's Note:**

> Um, spoilers for Cars 3? Hope y'all like this. I have become possibly too invested in animated cars but oh well.

The race was tight, but in the end, Ramirez pulled past Storm for her third win of the season. Natalie and Chick drove down to the track to interview some of the contestants. The Florida heat was overwhelming, but it was nice to be out of a confined space with Chick. Natalie liked her job. She really did. The network paid her a lot to balance out Chick’s...personality problems, and she got to do statistics for a living, which she loved.  
Of course, even with all the benefits, she had to work alongside Chick Hicks.

“So, Nat. After we interview some racers, hows about you and I go and get some oil together?” 

“For the third time, Chick, no. Not in a million years.” 

“Come on, honey.” He bumped into her as they drove through the crowd, and she skidded to stay upright. “I promise, I’d rock your world.” 

“Please, just shut up.” 

“All right, no need to be a bitch about it.” 

“Really?” 

“Just give ol’ Hicks a chance.” 

“Hey girl! Still on for that oil?” 

Ramirez. Cruz Ramirez had just driven up to her and giving her the same dazzling smile that she gave after she won a race. Natalie was struck dumb for a moment before she realized what was going on and she nodded and stammered out a “Yes, of course.” 

Cruz had somehow gotten between her and Chick. “Good. Come on. I have so much to tell you.” 

They weave through the crowd and once they’re far enough away, Cruz turns to her. 

“Sorry about that. I just figured you could use an escape.” 

“Thank you. I've used that move a few times too. Um, great race today.” 

“Thanks! Great analysis! I can’t believe you gave me a seventy-five percent chance of winning. Jackson Storm was furious all through the warmup.” 

“Well, numbers don’t lie. And the numbers say you’re the most promising up and coming rookie.” 

Oh my god, she was flirting with Cruz Ramirez. 

“Oh really? That’s your expert opinion?” 

And Cruz Ramirez was flirting back. This was not happening. She was going to wake up in her hotel room any second now 

“So how about that oil? I know a great joint where my crew likes to meet up after the race. You thirsty?” 

“Sure!” 

Natalie was expecting a trendy bar in the center of town, but the place Cruz took her to was a nondescript place near the beach. The bartender waved enthusiastically at them as they came in. 

“¡Hola, Ramirez! Buen trabajo en la pista hoy. ¿Qué quieres beber?” 

“Hola Frankie! Un pasado de moda y...” She looked at Natalie questioningly. 

“Coke and oil?” 

“Coke con petroleo. Gracias!” 

Lightning McQueen gives her a bit of a side eye as they join the rest of Cruz’s crew at the table. 

“The numbers lady? Ms. One point Five percent?” 

“Oh, yes. You remember?” 

Lighting is definitely glaring at her. “I do indeed. Where’s Hicks?” 

Cruz rolls her eyes. “He wasn’t invited. Mr. McQueen, knock it off, all right? She was just doing her job, and it’s not her fault that you’re old.” 

Natalie is surprised, but Lighting just laughs and bumps wheels with Cruz. “You just earned yourself an extra ten laps tomorrow, kid.” 

By the time the night is halfway over, Natalie has drunk three oil and cokes, had the oddest conversation with a rusty tow truck who tells her his name is Mater, and is on first name terms with Sally, a lawyer with gorgeous blue paint who seems to be the most reasonable person in the crew. After the bar closes, she and Cruz drive around on the beach for another hour, talking about the strangest places they’ve ever driven, their childhoods, college. She learns that Cruz once drove across the entire country, and the best place to get oil is a diner in Texas that also boasts the world’s largest paper airplane. Cruz is curious about the numbers behind racing, so she uses her front wheel to draw out some equations about tire pressure and wind friction in the sand and explains them as best as she can. 

“Wow. You’re smarter drunk than most cars I know are sober.” 

“And you’re the best racer on any track your wheels touch.” Cruz looks at her with wide brown eyes and Natalie is happier than she’s been in...ever. “When I saw you win, back at the beginning of the season, it made me feel like I could do anything.” 

Their front bumpers touch, and Cruz giggles. 

~~~~ 

They start meeting up nearly every day. Natalie comes to practice sessions and watches Cruz and Lightning race around tracks and get covered in dust and sand. It’s far from the calculated training charts and graphs that she studies before every race, but she thinks she understands why Lighting insists on training like this. It makes sense, somehow. And it definitely gives Cruz an edge when she races. She takes risks and makes moves that other racers wouldn’t even dream of. 

On weekends, they drive to small Florida towns and explore together. Cruz buys her a bumper sticker with an alligator on it, and she gets Cruz a pair of fuzzy windshield dice. At the seventh race of the season, Cruz nearly wipes out and before she realizes what she’s doing, Natalie has dropped her microphone and is racing down to the track. They won’t let her in the pit and she’s getting ready to run over one of the attendants when Sally pops up out of nowhere. 

“Hey, Natalie. Why don’t you come wait with me?” 

She follows Sally over to one of the prime seats and watches Cruz and Storm duking it out for first place. 

“It’s hard, isn’t it? Dating a racer. When Stickers wiped out, I swear, it was like I was out there, getting flattened too.” 

“I didn’t realize it would be like this.” 

Sally bumps tires with her. “Lynda Weathers told me that you don’t really get used to it.” 

“This was just my job. But I watch her out there, and it’s hard to just think about numbers.” 

“After the race, you go out there on the track. Her face will light up, just like Stickers always did when I came to see him. And you’ll remember why this is the greatest sport.” 

~~~~~ 

Cruz’s face does light up. Natalie actually pushes some other racers, including Jackson Storm, out of the way to get to her. 

“You were amazing. When you flipped over Storm like that...” 

“Hey, I’m right here!” 

Cruz rolls her eyes. 

“Your blinker’s on.” 

“What?” A moment later, she hears him cursing. Cruz laughs. 

“It’s good to see you, ‘Lee.” 

Natalie kisses her, forgetting that there are cameras and reporters everywhere. At least ten different flashes go off and they pull apart. There’s a cacophony of questions, but Cruz just smiles and waves them off. 

“I’ll do an interview later, fellas. Right now, I’m taking my girlfriend to dinner."


End file.
